How to Choose Useful Marketing Tchotchkes that People Actually Want
August 29, 2024
Give Customers the Marketing Tchotchkes They Didn’t Know They Needed
A tchotchke is typically defined as a small decorative item that doesn’t have much practical use, and it’s typically thought of as cheap and pointless. If you have no idea how to pronounce “tchotchke”, it sounds like “chotch-key”. It can be spelled in a variety of ways, including tshotshke, tchatchka, chachke, chochke, or chatskis. Synonyms include trinket, knickknack, doodad, swag, and souvenir.
Though promotional tchotchkes are often considered worthless, looking around a home makes it clear that they don’t need to be impractical. Little items like chip clips, promotional pens, jar openers, screen cleaner cloths, and so on really do make lives easier every day, but people rarely buy them intentionally. These types of mini problem solvers make the best tchotchke ideas. That’s where your brand comes in!
Too often, trade show tchotchkes and other promotional swag end up in a trash can. Customers sometimes see marketing chachkies as useless clutter to be gotten rid of it as soon as possible. Not only does this undermine the purpose of tchotchke swag, but it also hurts the environment, weakens your marketing message, and creates a poor image for your organization.
The answer is to give customers the promotional tchotchkes they didn’t know they needed. Customers will find themselves keeping these fun, useful, and unique trinkets on their desks, coffee tables, and kitchen countertops and using them daily.
Branded Tchotchkes for the Home
Crestline offers a number of marketing chachkies that are most useful in the home, whether they belong in the kitchen, in the bathroom, or by the door. Tchotchke swag exists to make life’s little challenges easier – and to regularly remind customers or event attendees of your organization in a positive way.
Kitchen tchotchke ideas include our Original Beverage Wrench™, which is made of stainless steel and helps open tough pop-top cans and bottle caps. It attaches to a keyring, so it never gets lost. Our Circle Jar Popper is another kitchen tchotchke designed to provide extra grip for loosening jar lids, screws, or light bulbs. The Jar Popper doubles as a coaster and is available in a variety of different shapes.
Refrigerators are often covered with photos, kids’ drawings, shopping lists, etc., and our Large Magnetic Cool Clip is the perfect addition to the clutter. With a strong magnet and a sturdy design, this clip can organize shopping lists or be used as a chip clip at need. Magnetic clips often get lost or broken, and customers will be happy to save every clip they receive as a trade show tchotchke.
Pizza is among the world’s top favorite foods, and so the World’s Best Pizza Cutter is sure to get plenty of use. Due to its innovative design, this pizza cutter requires less effort and provides more control than most traditional pizza cutters. It easily cuts through pizzas, waffles, baked goods, etc., and comes apart for easy cleaning.
Check out these best sellers:
Cool Office & Desk Tchotchkes
Whether we’re trying to write down a phone number, a bit of inspiration, or a short to-do list, we all know what it’s like to desperately need a slip of paper. Too often, in those situations, it seems like a pen and a scrap of paper are nowhere to be found.
But office tchotchkes exist to solve these problems. Give Crestline’s Post-It® Full Color Notes to your customers so they’ll always have a bit of paper on hand. These notepads can be customized in full color with your logo. They are available in 25- and 50-sheets and can stick to a desk, wall, or poster.
If you’re looking for creative tchotchkes for the office, give clients a bookmark that doubles as a magnifying glass to help them read that small print. With our Magnifying Bookmark, they’ll never lose their magnifying glass – it’ll always be right where they left off.
Crestline’s Standard Press-N-Stick™ Calendars are great marketing chotskies as they advertise your company all year round. These little monthly calendars will be a great help to your customers as they schedule events, plan work weeks, or organize meetings. At 3” by 4”, the Press-N-Stick Calendar uses little wall/desk space but still manages to display your company name or logo. Bonus, it’s a breeze to mail.
Though snail mail is becoming less common, most people continue to receive a few pieces in the mailbox every day. It’s not difficult to rip a paper envelope open, but with our Snail-Mail Letter Opener, customers won’t risk damaging the contents. With a protected stainless-steel blade, this letter opener quickly creates a clean cut that looks neat and professional. It can also be used to open packages in a pinch, making it one of the best tchotchkes your customers or employees will ever receive.
Take a look at these marketing gift items:
Tech Tchotchkes for Business
Tech-related conference tchotchkes give customers a great impression of your organization, letting them know your business stays on the cutting edge of technology and wants to keep its customers up-to-date as well.
When you think of tech tchotchke gifts, something more pricey may come to mind. However, Crestline supplies a number of tech items that won’t break the bank.
Our Neptune Tech Cleaning Cloth is made of polyester microfiber cloth with an antimicrobial coating. This 5 ½” by 5 ½” cloth cleans phone, computer, and tablet screens without scratching or damaging them. The Tech Cleaning Cloth is a great option if you’re looking for a super affordable marketing chachki.
Another low-cost business tchotchke is our Suede Cord Taco. This organizer is designed to keep cords tangle-free, whether you're storing, transporting, or using them.
It’s becoming more and more important to take care of the technology that makes online meetings work. Webcams are essential to a great online meeting, and blurry, scratched, or damaged webcam lenses are the last things your customers want. Crestline’s Protective Webcam Covers are lightweight and easily adhere to most laptops’ webcams. The cover slides over the camera to provide protection and privacy when not in use, but it easily slides open when it’s time to turn the webcam on.
Most people realize that the blue light coming from their screens isn’t good for their health, but oftentimes blocking blue lights isn’t a high priority. A great technology tchotchke is our Blue Light Blocking Glasses, which filter out blue light to help reduce dry eyes, blurry vision, and eye strain. These glasses come in many colors and include the option for customization.
Our Impulse Stylus Pen is sure to impress your customers with its comfortable grip and classy design. These pens work on any touchscreen device, including checkout pads and ATM screens. Stylus Pens can be customized with your company name or logo along the barrel.
If you’re looking for a useful little desktop item, check out Crestline’s SURF™ Stand. Made of durable plastic, this little stand can hold a phone or tablet. It also includes three pen holders hidden in the back of the design. At just under three inches tall, this stand takes up little space on a desk, but it’s still able to display your business’ message on a 2 ⅛” by ½” imprint area.
Here are some more of our favorite tchotchke ideas:
Promotional Tchotchkes for Outdoor Life
Whether your customers prefer the indoors or love to spend their weekends on hiking trails, these outdoorsy tchotchkes will definitely come in handy.
Everyone’s had the experience of being caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella or raincoat, whether they were walking across the parking lot, attending a sports game, or out on a camping trip. Give your customers Crestline’s Poncho Ball Key Chain so they'll always be prepared for unexpected weather. These convenient little ponchos are always close at hand when they are most needed.
If you’re considering a keychain trinket as a promotional giveaway, our Whistle/Light Key Ring is a great choice. This useful accessory can easily be stored in a pocket, on a keychain, or attached to a zipper pull just in case customers need it.
Crestline’s 11-in-1 Stainless Steel Multi Tool makes a great giveaway for any organization. This multi-tool is pocket-sized for easy storage and comes with a customizable pouch. Tools include a bottle opener, screwdriver, knife-edge, and saw blade.
It’s all too easy for companies to prioritize affordability over quality and spend money on swag items that end up being thrown away. This cycle is terrible for the environment – and it defeats the purpose of marketing tchotchkes in the first place. Businesses distribute giveaways at promotional events and trade shows to increase company exposure, remind attendees and customers of their brand, and create a positive image. But if those giveaways end up in the trashcan a day after the event, customers will likely forget about your organization or, even worse, associate your company with cheap, useless junk they don’t want in their lives.
However, more thoughtful tchotchkes are available here at Crestline. Whether you’re ready to spend a little more on upscale swag or you’d like to keep costs down with corporate gifts under $1, Crestline sells the best tchotchkes for every organization. Even if affordability is an issue, don’t sacrifice quality and utility for cost. With a little research, you’ll find the perfect bargain tchotchkes. Most items are customizable, so they’ll display your brand for years. Whether your tchotchkes are kept in the home, the car, or the office, customers will be reminded daily of your organization as your giveaways make their lives easier one moment at a time.
